For My Friend
by Spider-Mans Future Wife
Summary: I glanced at my best friend standing there on the stage all alone. His face was emotionless, although I could tell he was trying to look bolder than he felt. I swallowed hard as I watched the escort walk to the girl's bowl. Could I let her pick a girl that could kill my friend? No, I couldn't let that happen. Tears welled up in my eyes as I shakily opened my mouth, "I volunteer!"
1. Chapter 1

"Clink, clink, clink!" Echoed through my ears, awakening me from my slumber. For a split second I felt disoriented, but then I realized I was in my warm bed. It was very dark, it must have been around midnight. I blinked, looking around my dark room. As always, it was small, cramped, and smelled like grain. My room was in the attic, but I liked being up above everything.

"Clink, clink!" The noise made me glance at my one window, someone was throwing pebbles at it. I glanced to my right at my small, worn out dresser. On it lay my old machete. Most people from District 9 have machetes, I just kept mine on my dresser. I quickly tossed my old blanket off, causing the cold morning air to overwhelm my body. I clenched my jaw tight so my teeth wouldn't chatter, then reached over and snatched my machete.

I gingerly hopped off of my bed, forgetting how cold the wooden floor was. I quickly sneaked over to my window, the floor creaking ever so quietly. Machete clutched in hand, I took a deep breath and looked out my window, peering down at the pebble tosser. I grinned when I realized it was my best friend in the whole world, Dane.

"Alessia! Open your window!" Dane mouthed the words. His breath puffed into the air, obviously it was colder outside than it was inside. I frowned and looked behind me, just to make sure no one else was around. I then gingerly pulled my old window open, which made loud creaks.

"What do you want, you lunatic?" I say quietly down to him, laughing a bit. Dane smiled his million-dollar smile, shrugging.

"Come down here! We need to get going!" His deep voice beckoned me. I sighed, hanging my head.

"What time is it?" I ask, starting to shiver slightly. Dane shrugged again.

"Dunno, around one o'clock," He replied as he motioned for me to come down. I nodded, closing my window and curtains while spinning around on my heel. Yesterday, Dane had come up with a plan. In a few hours, Dane and I would have to go to our jobs. Since this is District 9, we have farming jobs. I'm a harvester while Dane, on the other hand, was a plower. Dane wanted to go and get our other friend who lived on the other side of the district, Leono, to help us work today.

Harvesting the grain crops takes most of the day, since we do it by hand. Day in and day out of harvesting can get boring after a while, but the good thing is that I've learned how to use my machete excellently. Sometimes I pretend that the crops of grain is that stupid President Larc, the president of the Capitol. He loves the Hunger Games, and says it's wonderful entertainment.

I raced to my old dresser and swung it open, grabbing an old T-shirt and a jean skirt that went down to my ankles. Once I had changed out of my pajamas and into my clothes, I pulled out my hairbrush. I then sat on my bed, beginning to brush my tangled mess of dark brown hair. With my other hand, I reached under my pillow and pulled out my little hand mirror, holding it up to my face. I smiled, admiring myself for a second.

People have said that I was a spitting image of my mother. My dark brown hair was so long that it was almost to my waist, it had been years since I cut it. It was just like hers, and I would never cut it again. I had her bright blue eyes and small lips. But the one thing that set me apart was the ragged scar running from the bottom corner of my left cheek to my mouth. Some kids mocked me and said it made me look like a monster, but I thought it looked fitting. I wasn't my mother, no matter how much I wanted to be. While I was quiet outwardly, I wasn't weak; at least not in my eyes.

"I had better hurry," I say to myself as I pull on my old work boots. I slowly opened my bedroom door, looking out to see if anyone was awake. Luckily, I heard snoring from the bedroom downstairs. Silently, I tiptoed down the creaky stairs and ran out the front door. A gust of the chilly morning air filled my lunges as I closed the front door behind me.

"What, did you die up there or something?" Dane laughed from behind me. I spun around, glaring at him.

"Oh shut it," I joke as I start walking down the dirt road toward Leono's. Dane quickly followed. We walked in silence for a few minutes. The streets of District 9 were unusually quiet, normally it's loud and obnoxious. With people going to jobs and such, it's always noisy. But not today, not today.

"Sure is quiet," Dane remarked, breaking the silence. I nodded, shrugging.

"I wonder why," I reply. Dane chuckled.

"Uh, for one, maybe it's because it's one o'clock in the morning, and for two, maybe it's because the Hunger Games reaping is tomorrow..." Dane's voice drifted off as he looked down. I drew in a quick breath.

"Don't remind me," I mutter as I elbow him. Dane smiled, shaking his head and running a hand through his short, light brown hair. There was a sense of sorrow in the crisp morning air, even though no one was up. It felt like I was in a trap, just waiting to go to the slaughter house. And there was nothing I could do about it. I hated the Hunger Games, I hated every little thing about it. All you could do was watch as the tributes fought to the death.

"ALESSIA!" Dane screamed, making my heart skip a beat!

"What!" I shouted, alarmed.

"Oh, sorry. I thought you were going to faint or something," Dane chuckled. I glared at him.

"Faint? Why would I do that?!" I remark, huffing.

"I dunno, your face turned all red," He said as he smiled innocently at me. I shook my head, laughing. Dane always liked to cutup and make jokes, he could always make me laugh.

* * *

The whole time we walked, Dane seemed slightly uneasy about something. But I decided not to ask him about it, if it was important than he would tell me. After all, we've been friends since we were little; he knows he can tell me anything. I glanced over at Dane, I felt like a midget walking beside him. Dane was very tall, not to mention very muscular since he works on a farm. I felt tiny compared to him!

"So, why do we have to get Leono anyway?" I asked. Dane cleared his throat.

"Because there's no way me and the guys are going to be able to plow that whole field today by ourselves, we need some extra people," Dane replied, running a hand through his hair again.

"Oh... Well, why do I have to come?" I asked, chuckling. Dane suddenly looked uncomfortable, which was unlike him.

"Because uh... Well..." Dane paused, frowning. "I... wanted some company!" He stammered, not making eye contact. I raised my eyebrow at him.

"Uh-huh, okay..." I muttered, not wanting to pry. After an hour and a half, we made it to Leono's house. I paused at the door.

"You knock," I say, stepping back. Dane gave me a weird look.

"Why me?" He asked, crossing his arms.

"Because you can knock louder," I shrug. Dane shrugged and pretended that he was about to knock on the door, but he grabbed my wrist and knocked on the door with my hand. Leono instantly swung the door open, glaring at us.

"You're late," He growled, walking out and closing the door behind him.

"Sorry," I mutter, looking at Dane. Dane just grinned and shrugged. Leono started walking without waiting for us. I inwardly rolled my eyes, Leono was always snappy like that. He's always trying to act better than everyone, even though he's younger than me. He's 15 but acts like he's 100.

We walked down the main road, talking and laughing as we did. Well, Dane and I were laughing, Leono just chuckled.

"Reapings are tomorrow," Leono said, making both Dane and I stop laughing.

"I hope I get reaped," Leono joked. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Don't joke around like that!" I say, slapping his shoulder. Leono shot me a glare, but nodded. Dane was unusually quiet after that, making me start to wonder what was going on. Suddenly, Leono stopped in his tracks.

"Hang on, I forgot something!" He remarked, pivoting around and beginning to run back down the dirt road.

"But what about work?!" Dane shouted, throwing his arms in the air. Leono looked back as he ran.

"Just wait there, I'll be right back!" He yelled, disappearing. I sighed, shrugging.

"He always forgets something," I mumble under my breath.

"Guess we should sit," Dane suggested, sitting down on the side of the road. I nodded, sitting next to him. Dane and I sat on the side of the main dirt road, watching people walk by. By now, everyone was beginning to bustle about. The sun hadn't come up quite yet, but the sky was a lot brighter than when I had first woken up. It was warming up, too.

"Guess I should go get ready to work," I remark. Dane frowned.

"Already?" Dane asked, sighing. I nodded.

"Well, wait," He said, looking uncomfortable. I gave him a strange look.

"What?" I pry, grinning slightly.

"Well, the reason I wanted you to come with me was because... I wanted to uh... tell you something," He stammered, looking down at his feet.

"Oh great, what is it?" I sigh, crossing my arms.

"Did you lose your machete again? I can't let you borrow mine this time-" I began to say.

"No, no! It's not that," Dane interrupted, looking at me. I decided to stay quiet, although I wondered what was so important.

"Uh... well, you know how the reaping is tomorrow morning?" Dane continued. I nodded again, raising my eyebrow.

"Well, there's a good chance that-"

"Alessia! Dane!" A harsh voice shouted, making us both look up. Standing in front of us was old Mr. Parson, our boss.

"Go home and get cleaned up for work! I didn't want a bunch of snot-nosed kids working on my farm in the first place, let alone filthy ones!" He growled, snarling at us. I looked down at my clothes, then Dane's. Our clothes were covered in mud and dirt, we were pretty gross looking right now. I stood up, dusting myself off.

"Yes sir," I replied quietly. Dane did the same. I glanced at Dane, curious to what he was about to say.

"I'll tell you later," He mouthed the words to me as he turned and walked away to go get Leono. I nodded, turning and walking the opposite way to my house. As I walked, I heard everyone talking about the Hunger Games reaping tomorrow. I frowned, my heart sinking. I hated thinking about the Hunger Games, it was too depressing. But the Hunger Games reaping was tomorrow and there was nothing I could do about it. Tomorrow, 24 poor souls would be chosen to fight to the death. _"One of those people could be me," _I thought to myself. I quickly shook the awful thought with a shudder. My name has only been entered a few times since I'm 16. I've been extra careful to not take any tessera, too.

"There's no way I'll be picked," I say aloud, hoping to reassure myself. But for some strange reason, I couldn't shake the weird feeling of fear.

**Hope you like it, took me a while to make. I don't own the Hunger Games. Please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

I quietly opened the front door to my house, peeking inside to see if my father was awake yet. Silence gave me my answer, he was still asleep. I tiptoed inside and up the stairs to the attic, aka my room. I sighed, walking to my dresser. My boss demands that his workers wear denim jeans, a brown T-shirt, and old work boots. He's strict, but I didn't dare break his rules. I needed this job, there weren't many for a teenage girl in District 9. I mean come on, farming is more of a guy thing. But I had a job and I was grateful for it, no matter how much my boss bugged me.

I quickly changed into my work clothes and pulled my hair into a ponytail. I hurried over to my bed, pulling out my other muddy work boots. Rushed, I quickly kicked off my other boots and slipped on my work boots. I paused when I saw a little piece of paper stuck to the mud of my left boot.

"Must have gotten stuck when I shoved my boots under my bed yesterday," I mumble to myself, reaching down and grabbing the paper. I wrinkled my eyebrows, flipping the piece of paper over. I drew in a sharp breath, realizing it was a picture. I quietly sat on my bed, a lump forming in my throat. It was a picture of my mother, my dear mother.

Everyone says I look exactly like her, minus the scar on my jaw. I studied the old, dusty picture. She was standing next to my father, both of them beaming with joy. I gulped, wishing I had known more about her. When I was seven, my mother disappeared. It was said that she had gone crazy, sick of being in District 9. They say that one day she lost it and tried to run away, escape from the district; only to be caught by cruel peacekeepers. To finish this sad story, it's said that they took her away somewhere and made her an avox, never to be seen again.

I don't know if this story is true, but I do know that my dad is sure bitter about it. He never talks about her, ever. In fact, he would freak out if he knew I had a picture of her. I slowly put the picture under my pillow, I couldn't let dad see it.

"Alessia!" A gravelly voice beckoned from downstairs. I jumped slightly, but stood up and grabbed my machete, racing down the stairs.

"Yes sir?" I asked, looking for my dad.

"In here," He replied from the kitchen. I quickly jogged to the kitchen, my eyes resting on my dad. He was tall and lean, with short grey hair and brown eyes. A lot of people are intimidated by my dad, and I don't blame them.

"Here," He remarked as he tossed me an apple. I quickly caught it.

"There's your breakfast now get!" He says, pointing at the door. I instinctively nodded.

"Y-Yes sir," I reply quietly as I hurry out the door. Once outside, I smiled as the morning sun hit my face. It was about 6:30 in the morning. I sank my teeth into the ripe apple as I walked down the familiar dirt road to work. Machete clutched in one hand, an apple in the other, everything seemed great. But there was still this weird tense feeling lingering in the air, as if everyone was on edge. I knew why, too. The Games reaping was tomorrow morning. I sighed, trying to forget about it; I still had one good day before I had to start worrying. After a few minutes of walking, my apple was gone and I was at the farm.

The farm was huge, with three fields. I don't know why Mr. Parson doesn't just use one big field for his grain crops, but he says he has to have it his way. I quickly walked to the field where everyone was harvesting the grain. Machete in hand, I instantly got to work.

* * *

For nine hours, I've been out in the big field harvesting grain. It was now 4:00 in the afternoon, and my arms felt like they were about to fall off!

"Alright, let's call it a day," Mr. Parson yelled in the distance.

"Finally," I mumble, wiping some sweat off of my forehead. I was covered head-to-toe in dirt and sweat, but I didn't care. I was just happy to be done! I staggered out of the field, barely able to still hang onto my machete. Suddenly, someone grabbed my machete out of my hand! Startled, I spun around to be face-to-face with Dane.

"Let me carry this, you look tired," He said, smiling kindly. He was covered in dirt as well, but he didn't look very tired.

"You gave me a heart attack!" I laugh, shaking my head.

"Sorry," Dane laughed along, walking beside me.

"Wait up!" Leono shouted from behind us.

"Ugh, keep walking," Dane mumbled, not turning around. I burst out laughing.

"He's our friend!" I say, stopping to wait for Leono.

"He's annoying," Dane sighed, reluctantly waiting beside me. Leono quickly ran over to us, glaring at us.

"I can't believe you weren't waiting for me! You were going to walk home without me!" He snapped, walking in front of us. "You don't deserve to be my friend," He added, puffing his chest out. I rolled my eyes, following him.

"Why are we friends with that nut again?" Dane whispered into my ear. I shrugged, trying not to laugh. We walked down the dirt road, Leono ahead of us. Dane whispered to me as we walked, making sure Leono didn't hear.

"The whole time he was complaining about how he should be at the Capitol," Dane mumbled. "I came so close to punching him, I swear..." He added, sounding annoyed. I held back my laughs. I honestly can't remember when Dane and I became friends with Leono, but Leono always acts like we're so lucky to have him as a friend. I stared at the back of Leono's head as we walked. He was as tall as me, even though he was younger. He had dull green eyes but perfectly combed red hair. He was toned, but skinny at the same time. I always thought of him as a dork, but he thought of himself as mister macho top dog.

"Shhh, he's gonna hear you!" I whisper to Dane, shoving my elbow in his ribs. As we walked down the road, we came to a crossroad.

"Well, I'm going to go see my girlfriend before I home," Leono announced, stopping at the crossroad. He paused, smiling.

"She's so lucky to have a real catch like me," Leono grinned, deep in thought.

"Are we sure his 'girlfriend' isn't imaginary? No girl could put up with that," Dane whispered, smirking.

"Goodbye, farewell, yada yada yada... You're welcome for my company," Leono said to me, waving as he turned and walked away. I grinned, amused at his pride.

"See yah," I reply, walking the opposite way. Dane rolled his eyes, following me.

"What a moron," Dane remarked, walking beside me.

"The next time I ask him to help at the farm, please slap me," He laughed. I laughed along, brushing my hair behind my ear. The wind was picking up now that it was getting later, it gently whipped through the trees. The sun was weaker now, casting shadows across the ground. People chatting echoed through the air as everyone was getting off work. I smiled slightly, feeling happy. But that didn't last long.

"So, the reaping is tomorrow," Dane said, clearing his throat. I shook my head, not wanting to think about it.

"Yeah, whatever, what were you going to tell me before?" I ask, trying to change the subject. Dane looked away.

"Well it's... it's about the reaping," He muttered quietly. My heart sank slightly, I didn't want to think about the reaping; but I guess I had no choice.

"Alright, what is it?" I sigh, stopping and turning to him. Dane ran a hand through his hair.

"Uh... Well, I might get reaped," He blurted out, not making eye contact. I froze, staring at him for a second.

"Everyone has a chance of getting reaped..." I say slowly.

"I know but I took a lot of tessera," He answered, finally looking me in the eye. It seemed like everything around me stopped, I couldn't believe it!

"What! Dane! We agreed that none of us would take tessera this year!" I stammer, my throat going dry. Dane shrugged.

"You know I have a big family, we needed the extra food-" He began.

"I can't believe you did this! How much did you take?!" I demand, crossing my arms.

"Hey, I just thought you should know, don't get mad! Sheesh!" Dane scolded, frowning. I paused, trying to keep calm. _"He couldn't have taken that much, everything will be fine, calm down," _I think to myself.

"Okay, okay, sorry... How much?" I asked, looking down at my feet.

"That's not important," Dane replied, starting to walk again. I glared at him.

"Dane..."

"Twenty-eight,"

My heart leaped into my throat! Dane was the closest friend I had, he was like my big brother. We've been friends since forever, and now he might be reaped. He couldn't be reaped, he just couldn't! How could he take tessera? Now there was a good chance he would be reaped! Suddenly I started to imagine living in my boring District without my best friend. What would I do? Who would I talk to? What would happen? And on top of that, Dane had a big family. He had three younger brothers, all under 12, what would they do without him? And his parents, what would they do? My mind started to panic, but I tried to keep my cool. Dane was important, not only to me, but to a lot of people. He _couldn't _be reaped.

I stood there, speechless as I watched Dane walk away. Dane glanced back at me, looking puzzled.

"Aren't you coming?" He asked, wrinkling his eyebrows. I didn't answer, I just looked away. I wasn't sure if I should be sad, angry, or if I should just forget about it. Dane sighed, walking back to me.

"Alessia-" He began to say. Suddenly, I made up my mind. I clenched my fists as I shoved him as hard as I could.

"Whoa, what's wrong with you-"

"You can't be reaped, Dane!" I shouted, glaring at him. Dane paused, raising his eyebrow.

"Why are you yelling at me?!" Dane asked, raising his voice as well. People on the street started to stop and stare at us. I paid no attention to them.

"How could you be so stupid? You know how much your family needs you!" I answer, clenching my fists tighter. Dane tensed, glaring at me.

"My family doesneed me, that's why I took the tessera! For them!" Dane yelled, he seemed shocked that I was mad at him.

"You don't get it! If you take tessera then you can get reaped and then what are they gonna do?" I say through clenched teeth. I don't know why I was so mad at him, deep inside I felt stupid. But I couldn't stop yelling at him, it seemed all of my stress was pouring out, unfortunately on him. Dane stared at me, anger in his eyes.

"No, you don't get it. I'm the oldest, it's my responsibility to get the food. I took tessera for them, that was my responsibility. Whether I get reaped or not is my problem, not yours!" Dane mumbled quietly, glancing at the crowd who had gathered around us. I opened my mouth to speak, but no words would come out!

"Forget it, I never should have told you. I'm sorry, see yah," Dane hissed as he spun around, storming off. I watched him disappear behind a building, shocked. Anger was broiling inside of me, Dane could be killed and it would be all his fault. I clenched my jaw tight, narrowing my eyes. I glared at the people who were grinning at me, then I marched toward my home. My heart pounded with worry and anger, making me practically jog home. _"This is all his fault," _I think to myself as I chomp down on my lower lip. The reaping was tomorrow morning, and my best friend could be going into the Hunger Games.

**Hope you liked this chapter! Took me a while to write it... My lizard pooped on me while I was in the middle of writing... Yuck... Anyways! Please review and send me a PM if you have any ideas! I don't own the Hunger Games. **


	3. Chapter 3

I lay in my bed, staring at the dark, cracked ceiling. It was oddly cold up in the attic, but I still had my old blanket to protect my body from the chilly night air. I listened to the wind howl outside, sounding like an eerie lullaby. The moonlight cast a dim, gloomy light through my window, making shadows dance across the floor. I took a deep breath, anger still pounding inside of me. _"How could Dane yell at me like that?"_ I think to myself, frowning. I bit my lip, wondering what to do. The reaping was tomorrow morning, and there was nothing I could do about it. My best friend, Dane, told me there was a good chance of him getting picked. My mind started to drift to thoughts of Dane dying in the Games. I shuddered, imagining someone hunting him down and stabbing him. _"Calm down, he might not get reaped."_ I thought, taking in a deep breath again. Dane was practically family to me, and now he might be ripped away to go into the Hunger Games.

But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't stop thinking about ways he could die. I forced my eyes shut, trying to go to sleep. Eventually I drifted off, only to have nightmares about the Games.

* * *

It felt like I had only been asleep for a few minutes before the morning sun shined in my eyes, jerking me awake. I groaned in annoyance, it was going to be a _long_ day. I slowly climbed out of my warm bed, then walked to my old dresser. Peering inside, I grabbed my purple cotton dress, the one I always wore to the reaping. It was the only dress I owned, I loved it dearly. I always felt so pretty and petite in it, I felt like a princess. Slowly I unfolded it, holding it up in the sunlight to admire it. I suddenly gasped in dismay!

"Oh no! It's ruined" I whispered, frowning. The once beautiful dress was now covered in holes, moths had gotten to it and eaten it. My heart sank. Now what would I wear? I tossed it on my bed as I crossed my arms. I couldn't very well show up to the reaping in my t-shirt and jean skirt, now could I? Suddenly, I got an idea.

"I could wear one of mother's," I say aloud, the words feeling like knives as I said them. I silently walked out of my room and down the stairs, to my parent's bedroom. I cautiously cracked the door open, glancing around for my father. It wasn't surprising that he was no where to be seen. I felt like a rebel as I tiptoed to my mother's old closet. I don't know why I was tiptoeing, there was a slim chance of my father being nearby. I swung the doors closet open, my eyes resting on all of her colorful dresses. I smiled, they were so beautiful! I gently ran my hand across them all, making the dresses swing on their coat-hangers. I bit my lower lip.

"Which one should I wear?" I ask myself, eyeing all the dresses. Then I spotted a pretty yellow dress; I instinctively grabbed it and held it close to me, seeing what it would look like. The dress was long, coming a good way below my knees. It flowed and swished gently when I moved it. It was plain, but mostly all of the clothes in District 9 were plain; unless of course you were rich.

"I like this one," I told myself, smiling slightly. I quickly ran back up to my room, changing into my dress. I excitedly grabbed my little hand mirror, wondering how I looked in my mother's dress. I blinked, I looked almost exactly like my mother. I sighed. Although I wasn't really hoping to look like someone else, I guess it would have to do. I hurriedly ran a brush through my hair, pulled on my boots, and ran downstairs to the kitchen. I froze when I saw my dad standing over the stove, cooking. My dad, my cold-hearted, macho dad was _cooking_. His back was toward me, he paused when he heard my footsteps. I swallowed hard, wondering if it was really _my _dad standing in front of me. He slowly turned around, his eyes widening when he saw me. He eyed me up and down, realizing I was wearing my mother's dress instead of my old purple one.

"That's your mothers," He said, a snarl threatening to form on his tightened jaw. My heart skipped a beat, wondering what to say.

"Yes sir, moths ate my old one," I stammered quietly. My dad hated being reminded of my mother, ever since she disappeared. He stared at me with his hardened eyes, as if wondering how to react.

"Well, young lady, you look..." He paused, making my heart lift for a second, "decent."

I frowned slightly, but I guess that was a compliment coming from my father. I smiled, nodding slowly. Dad cleared his throat, nodding at the table.

"Sit," He ordered, turning and grabbing two plates. I instantly plopped onto the chair, gulping slightly.

"I... I thought we should eat a proper breakfast, before the reaping," He cleared his throat, setting a plate of scrambled eggs in front of me. He sat down across from me, sinking his fork into his plate of eggs. I paused, feeling out of place. I haven't eaten a sit-down breakfast since mom left, it was like I had forgotten how to behave at the kitchen table. I slowly picked up my fork, beginning to eat.

"This is good! You should cook more often, dad," I say, smiling slightly. My father didn't react to my joke, he just wolfed down his breakfast.

* * *

After breakfast, I made my way outside. I frowned, glancing around the now noisy district. People were bustling about, getting ready to go to the reaping. My heart sank as I watched mothers and fathers hug their children goodbye, wondering if they'd ever get the chance to do so again. Peacekeepers were everywhere, making sure every person in the district went to the reaping. Each step I took hissed that it was time for the reaping. The sun beat down on me, as if taunting me. In the distance, the sound of women and children weeping whispered through the tense air. I glanced around at the other teenagers walking to the district, different emotions on their faces. Most of the expressions were worry and depression, though. I tensed when I saw the station where they drew each teenager's blood. I slowly approached, frowning as I did.

"Hand," The woman snorted, not taking the time to even look up at me. I frowned, extending my hand. She instantly stabbed my index finger then scanned my blood. The scanner beeped and the woman nodded, telling me to move on. I shot the rude woman a glare, then made my way to the 16 year old girls section. Extreme tension hissed in the air, only adding to my uneasiness. I glanced at the girls standing around me, most had expressions of despair and worry. But some, oddly enough, had excited smiles. I shot these obviously crazy people glares, then stared blankly at the empty stage in front of us. It seemed like the wind stopped, forcing the hot sun to pound us.

I frowned, trying to get my pounding heart to stop beating so loudly in my ears. It seemed like it got harder to breathe with every tense second. Suddenly, I heard boy's voices to my left. I glanced over, scanning the crowd of boys. I paused when I saw Leono standing in the 15 year old section. His dull green eyes met mine at the exact same time. He suddenly smiled, realizing I was looking at him. He waved obnoxiously, mouthing the words: "Hey girly! Good luck!". I raised my eyebrows at him, shaking my head. I drew in a sharp breath when I subconsciously looked over at the 16 year old boy section. Dane clearly stood out as he was the tallest of them all. His light brown hair was combed neatly and he was wearing a blue button-down shirt with jeans. He was standing proud and tall with his shoulders back; he was staring at the stage. His eyes were still filled with anger, and it was like he knew I was looking at him but refused to look back at me. I inwardly rolled my eyes, returning my gaze back to the stage. If he wanted to hold a grudge, that was fine by me.

Everything went dead silent as our escort stepped up onto the stage. She was short and round, dressed in a fluffy bright blue dress that dragged across the floor. Her hair was an obnoxious magenta color, pulled back in a weird side-bun. She was wearing colored contacts, making her eyes appear a deep purple color. It looked as if she had caked make-up on her circular face, but I thought it looked ugly and over-the-top. Her skin was dyed a pale purple, making her look like an alien as she waddled to the microphone. The white high-heels she was wearing echoed through the air until she stopped, tapping on the mic with her fancy nails. I was half expecting her to say "I can in peace." as she smiled broadly, opening her mouth to speak.

"Hello, people of District 9!" She said, nearly hopping with fake excitement. No one answered her, but it didn't faze the peppy escort.

"My name is Tuffi, and I am your escort! Who's excited?" She grinned, clapping at the silent crowd. My eyes narrowed at her, how could she be so happy about the Hunger Games? For the next ten minutes, we got the regular speech about the Hunger Games and why the Games existed. Boring, as always. I couldn't help but glance over at Dane, who still wouldn't look at me. My heart began to thud with anger, he was my best friend and he couldn't even_ look_ at me. I clenched my jaw, turning back to the clown on stage.

"Okay! Who's ready to get this party started?" Tuffi beamed, squealing with excitement. Everyone kind of scowled at the escort, it was anything but a "party". She paused, as if wondering why no one was cheering with her. The anger inside of me began to twist into worry as I glanced at Dane, his expression still the same. Angry and determined. Tuffi cleared her throat, never losing her overly-happy smile.

"Uhm, let's start with the boys!" She remarked, waddling over to the boy's bowl. I breathed in deeply, trying to calm myself down. _"He's not going to get reaped, he's not going to get reaped." _I thought to myself, clenching my fists. Images of Dane's family freaking out flashed through my mind, Dane couldn't get picked. I swallowed hard, never taking my eyes off of the escort. She gingerly shoved her hand into the bowl.

"Oooh, this is so exciting! Which one will I pick? Which paper will I choose?" Tuffi giggled, making everyone tense. She flicked pieces of paper about, making the boys shift around uncomfortably. I glanced over at the boys, they all had terrified expressions on their faces. Except Dane, he stared blankly at the escort. After what seemed like an eternity, Tuffi snatched up a piece of paper. She grinned, waddling back to the mic. Tension reeked in the air as she opened the piece of paper with her glossy nails.

"Our male tribute from District 9 is... Dane Harpet," She nearly shouted, smiling with anticipation. I was sure my heart had stopped beating as my head shot to my left, staring wide-eyed at my best friend Dane. All eyes shifted to Dane, who stood in shock. Dane swallowed hard, his eyes filled with confusion.

"No!" A little voice screamed from the sidelines. Dane's little brother was weeping, his parents and other little brothers close to tears as well. My eyes teared up as Dane began to walk toward the stage. He rolled his shoulders back, gulping hard as he bravely walked up the stairs and to the stage. I glanced over at Leono, whose face was pure shock as he looked from me to Dane. Tears threatened to roll down my cheeks, but I tried to keep them back. My best friend was going to the Games, there was nothing I could do about it.

"Oh my, what a handsome young fella!" Tuffi smiled, grabbing Dane's arm and holding him next to her. Dane breathed in deeply, but showed no emotion as he looked around. My jaw dropped as I watched him stand there. Dane stared out into the crowd blankly, showing absolutely no emotion. Finally, he glanced over at me. He tightened his jaw, looking away just as quick.

"I guess it's time for the girl's!" Tuffi remarked as she waddled over to the girl's bowl. She was about to pick a girl who could end up killing Dane; about to pick one more threat to him. Who knows, the girl Tuffi picks could be the one to kill him! I glanced at my best friend standing there on the stage all alone. His face was emotionless, although I could tell he was trying to look bolder than he felt. I swallowed hard as I watched the escort walk to the girl's bowl. Could I let her pick a girl that could kill my friend? No, I couldn't let that happen. Tears welled up in my eyes as I shakily opened my mouth, "I volunteer!".

**Well hope you liked it! Sorry for the late update, been a busy week! I don't own the Hunger Games. **


	4. Chapter 4

The words tasted bitter as I blurted them out, I instantly regretted saying them. _"I just volunteered for the 12th Hunger Games!" _I thought to myself. All eyes shot to me, everyone was shocked that there had been a volunteer for District 9. Everything went silent; dead silent. Icy chills shot down my spine as the girls in front of me moved, making a pathway to the stage. My feet felt glued to the ground as I glanced over to Leono, who looked as if he had just seen a ghost. His jaw was dropped as he stared blankly at me. From the stage, Tuffi giggled in delight; clapping her hands.

"Oooh goody! A volunteer! What a lucky girl! Come on up," Tuffi beckoned from the stage. I slowly turned my gaze from Leono to the stage. Dane's eyes were wide with horror, his jaw was dropped. I couldn't look at him as I reluctantly began to walk to the stage. I could feel the stares of everyone in the District as I walked. My heart pounded loudly in my ears and my throat went dry. _"This isn't happening... This isn't happening..." _My mind whispers as I approach the stairs. Tears stung my eyes as I looked at the cold, stone stairs.

"Well come on!" Tuffi giggled, motioning me to come over. I swallowed hard, but managed to walk up the stairs without fainting. My whole body felt numb when my feet touched the dreaded stage. I couldn't tell if I was crying, and I really didn't care. I finally met my best friend's eyes as I walked past him to Tuffi. He looked as if he was about to yell at Tuffi when she grabbed my arm, pulling me in front of the microphone.

"Tell us your name," She said in her high pitched, squeaky voice. I stared out into the crowd, they all had shocked and sad expressions on. Some even glared, as if saying "what a stupid idiot". I drew in a shaky breath, glancing down at the shiny silver microphone.

"M-My name... my name is A-Alessia Trecking," I stammer into the mic. No one applauded, they just stared. I heard Tuffi stomp her feet in excitement behind me. I glanced over at Dane, who was still staring at me in shock.

"Well, everyone! That's it! Our tributes for the 12th Hunger Games are Dane Harpet and Alessia Trecking!" Tuffi beamed, patting us both on the shoulder. She then tightened her grip on our shoulders, spinning us around to face each other.

"Shake hands, you lucky tributes! You're going to the Hunger Games!" She squealed, smiling ear-to-ear. Dane's eyes were filled with confusion and shock as he extended his hand toward me; I shakily extended mine. We shook hands for a second as I gulped hard. This was it, no way to change it. My best friend and I were going to the Games.

* * *

I was now sitting in the Justice Building, shaking like a leaf. Had I really just volunteered? Could I really be _that _stupid?

"I have no chance of winning," I whisper to myself as I pulled my knees up to my chest. I rested my chin on my knees, feeling the soft fabric of the old dress. Teardrops fell onto my knees, sinking into the fabric.

"I had to do it, to protect him," I argue with myself, wrinkling my eyebrows. Dane had to go home to his family, they needed him more than anyone needed me. "_Since I have no chance of winning, I'll just focus on protecting Dane so he can go back home."_ I think to myself. Suddenly, the door swung wide open and in ran Leono. He paused when he saw me, as if wondering what to say. I didn't bother getting up; besides, my legs felt numb. Leono breathed in deeply, catching his breath.

"What... the potato... was that?!" He demanded, crossing his arms. I sniffled, not looking at him.

"I dunno," I mumble.

"You don't know? YOU DON'T KNOW?! Alessia! You just volunteered for the Hunger Games! You're going to die!" Leono shouted, throwing his arms in the air. He glared at me.

"You just volunteered to hurt me, didn't you?" He hissed. Anger suddenly thudded in my heart as I glared back at him.

"Hurt you?! No! I did it so I can make sure Dane comes home! Besides, what do you care?" I ask through clenched teeth. Leono stared at me with his green eyes.

"You and Dane are like... my only friends here!" He yelled, his face turning red with anger.

"What about your girlfriend?" I remark, rolling my eyes. Leono paused, as if thinking of a witty comeback.

"Yeah, well.. er... S-She's a girlfriend, that's way different! And besides the point! You're both leaving! How is that supposed to make me feel?" Leono groaned, beginning to pace in front of me. I sighed.

"I don't really care about how you feel, Leono, you're not the one who might die!" I answer, calming myself down. Leono frowned.

"You're right, you're right... Okay... well, there's got to be a way to get you out of this," Leono said as he paced. I huffed.

"We only have three minutes," I say quietly.

"I know, shut it, I'm thinking!" Leono answered, subconsciously being rude. I inwardly rolled my eyes as I watched him pace, deep in thought.

"Maybe you could go back out and say you were just kidding?" Leono said, pausing in front of me and smiling hopefully. I cleared my throat, lifting my chin off of my knees.

"Yeah, right... I'm already in, Leono, there's nothing we can do about it," I answer, shrugging. Leono frowned and hung his head.

"But... But you can't go, Alessia..." He muttered. I shrugged.

"Well, I am... I'm sorry, Leono," I almost whisper, putting my chin back onto my knees. Leono nodded slowly.

"I'll miss you, pal," He mumbled just as the peacekeepers came in.

"Time's up!" They hissed as they led Leono out the door. I watched as Leono walked, realizing this could be the last time I ever see him.

"Bye, Leono!" I say just as they closed the door behind them. Everything got silent once the door closed. That was probably going to be the last time I ever saw my snobby friend, but I'd miss him and his rude remarks. Suddenly, I heard heavy footsteps slowly getting louder and louder. I looked up to see the door open and in stepped my father. I froze, I had forgotten about him! What would he say? Was he mad at me? If so, what would he do?!

"Alessia..." He muttered quietly. I instantly sprang to my feet, wondering what to expect. His eyes were cold and threatening, his jaw was clenched into a frown. He took a menacing step toward me, making me want to run. But my feet wouldn't move as I watched him walk to me. Was he angry at me for volunteering? I tensed when suddenly, a sob escaped from his mouth! He instantly hugged me, I could feel his tears fall onto my shoulder. Shocked, I awkwardly hug my father back, at a loss for words.

"Why..." He whispered as he hugged me tight. My mouth went dry with shock, my dad never cried, _never! _The only time I've seen him cry was when mother disappeared. Of all the people, I never dreamed my father would care that I volunteered!

"First, your mother, and now you?" He remarked in more of a question than a statement. I opened my mouth to say something reassuring, but no words would come out! I just hugged him instead. Tears began to pour down my cheeks as well, it was all so emotional! My father slowly cleared his throat, pulling away and rubbing the tears off of his face with his sleeve. He gently brushed loose hair behind my ear.

"Not my little girl," He mumbled, his eyes blood-shot from crying. Finally, I found my words.

"I'll be okay," I say quietly. He shook his head.

"I know why you volunteered, you did it for that kid," Dad frowned, "but listen up, it's too late to go back; you're in this for the long run," He ordered, returning to his cold-hearted nature. I listened closely, I didn't _dare_ go against my father's orders.

"Here's what you're going to do, you're going to fight hard and fight mean," He ordered, staring at me coldly.

"But dad-" I began to say.

"No but's!" He snapped, tensing under the stress.

"You're going to look intimidating, gonna look mean, threatening," He continued, "I want you to scare the pants off those tributes!" He ordered. I nodded slowly.

"Then once you get into the arena, I want you to stay alone and find a place to hide. When anyone, even that kid, comes along, I want you to get them," He said bluntly, not giving me time to respond. Suddenly, the peacekeepers came in.

"Time's up!" One of them hiss, then they both paused when my father spun around and glared at them.

"Get out," He demanded, snarling. Both peacekeeper's eyes widened.

"Uhh, okay, one more minute won't kill anyone!" One replies as they both run out the door in fright. My father then turned back to me.

"I know you don't want to hurt anyone, but Alessia," He said as he put his hand on my shoulder. "come home,". And with that he turned around and walked out.

**Welp, hope you liked this chapter! Please review! I don't own the Hunger Games.**


	5. Chapter 5

I was now being escorted to the train by two peacekeepers. The sun beat down on my back, making my throat go dry. I stared at the ground, unable to look at the peacekeepers. Instead, I listened to the steady beat of their boots crunching under the dirt. The ground seemed harder and dustier than normal, as if screaming for me to run back to my district, where the grass was. But I had no choice, I was going into the Games. My heart began to race when I subconsciously looked up, my eyes resting on a huge, shiny silver train. It was an odd-looking train, obviously Capitol-made.

"Get on and don't give us any trouble," One of the peacekeepers mutter as he opens the door. As he did, a huge gust of cool air thrust against my face, sending chills down my arms. It smelled like... flowers and mango's, a weird combination for me to take in. I paused as I stared at the entrance, my feet seemed to weigh 100 pounds!

"Ugh, just go!" The other peacekeepers yells as he harshly shoves me inside; slamming the door shut behind me. I drew in a sharp breath, standing there in fright. _"What do I do?" _I think to myself as I slowly look around at my surroundings. It was... beautiful. All the windows had short, flowing turquoise curtains that emphasized the windows unbelievably. The carpet was a soft purple, it seemed to squish whenever I stepped. There were two dark purple, round-shaped couches on either side of the train, each stuffed with fluffy white pillows. There were four chairs in the middle of the room, each facing each other; all were an off-white color. In the back of the room stood oak tables, each filled with ripe fruit and juice. A silent, silver air conditioner sat in the right corner, sending bursts of cold, weird-smelling air into the large room. I breathed in deeply.

"This... this is weird," I mumble under my breath, shivering slightly. Suddenly, Tuffi waddled into the room. She instantly broke into a smile when she saw me.

"Isn't this place wonderful?" She beamed, twirling around while giggling. I could feel myself starting to scowl, so I looked away.

"Sure," I mumble. Grant it, the train was very pretty, but it was just a show. The bottom line was it was just a train that could be taking me to my death.

"Sit, sit!" Tuffi grinned as she motioned for me to sit in one of the white chairs. I slowly walked over, then sank into the chair. It was an extremely uncomfortable and hard chair, it felt like sitting on a really flat rock. Suddenly, the train door opened and in walked Dane. He coughed at the weird smell of the train, then his eyes rested on me. He silently stared at me for a second, then began to walk over. The carpet was so fluffy that I couldn't even hear his footsteps!

"Good grief, wasn't expecting to be bombarded with mango's," Dane muttered. I couldn't tell if he was angry or if he felt bad for me as he sat in the chair next to me. Tuffi squealed in delight.

"Oh, would you look at this! Our tributes from District 9! Oh, don't you just look precious!" She remarked, pinching Dane's cheek. Dane shot her a glare as he rubbed his cheek. Suddenly, my mouth went dry as Dane looked over at me. My heart began to pick up pace as I looked down, not able to meet his eyes. He slowly elbowed me, as if about to say something. Suddenly, a very tall, muscular young man walked into the room. He had perfect yet messy short brown hair and deep green eyes. He had very defined cheekbones, and small lips. He also had a faint scar under his lower lip; it didn't make him look ugly, it actually made him look better. He was very, very handsome. Tuffi elegantly swooped onto the couch, having a goofy smile on her face as she watched the man.

"Hello there," His deep voice boomed as he walked to the chair in front of me and sat down. Dane nodded a hello but didn't speak. I leaned back in my chair, not knowing what to do. _"Be tough," _My mind scolded.

"My name is Ryke, I'm your mentor," He smiled, extending his hand toward us. Dane firmly shook his hand first, then Ryke extended his hand toward me. I slowly crossed my arms, looking away. I didn't want to shake a Capitol's hand, no way!

"Shake the kind man's hand!" Tuffi giggled, never taking her eyes off of Ryke. I paid no attention to her, I just made sure I didn't look at Ryke. Ryke cleared his throat, leaning back in his chair.

"So, which one of you is the volunteer?" Ryke asked, slightly smiling. Dane nodded toward me.

"She is," Dane replied boldly. Ryke smiled confidently at me.

"Ah, you're brave! That's good," He grinned, "it can get you sponsors."

I slowly nodded, not looking at him. My whole body wanted to shake in fear, but I wouldn't let it. I clenched my fists tight, I had to follow my father's instructions. It was the only plan I really had. I couldn't appear weak, that would be _fatal. _I had to look strong, mean, and intimidating. Dane gave me a weird look, then turned his attention toward Ryke.

"So, what Games did you win?" He asked slowly. Ryke paused.

"I won the 10th Hunger Games when I was 16," He answered, standing up and walking to the fruit table.

"Come on, guys! All this fruit here and y'all didn't touch any of it!" Ryke announced, trying to take the tension out of the air. He grabbed a pear, sinking his perfectly white teeth into it. Dane wrinkled his eyebrows.

"The 10th Hunger Games when you were 16... that was two years ago. You're only 18?!" Dane asked, turning around in his chair to look at Ryke. Ryke nodded, leaning against the table.

"Great, the fate of our lives rests in the hands of a kid," Dane sighed, sinking in his chair. Ryke rolled his shoulders back, grinning.

"Yeah, well I did win, so..." He remarked, grabbing some oranges and beginning to juggle them. Tuffi clapped, smiling from ear-to-ear. I slowly sank in my chair, frowning. Everything was awkward. Dane and I didn't want to be here, but it seemed everyone was expecting us to be jumping for joy. Ryke cleared his throat.

"Well, I'm gonna go check out the rest of the train, I'll see y'all later," He remarked as he set the oranges down and walked out, followed by Tuffi. Once they were gone, Dane and I were left alone in the room. There was an intense awkward silence for a few minutes as Dane shifted around in his seat.

"You okay?" Dane finally asked, not looking at me. I slowly looked over at him, nodding.

"Yep,"

"So, why didn't you tell me about this... this death wish of yours?!" Dane asked, raising his voice slightly. I sighed, I knew this was coming.

"I just..."

"You just what? Decided that I needed help?" He interrupted me.

"Well, Dane, you need to go home somehow," I began again.

"I need help from no one! I'm fine by myself! I could have survived without you! But now! Now I have to worry about you too!" He snapped, glaring at me. I cleared my throat.

"Are you going to let me talk or what?!" I demand, huffing. Dane crossed his arms, nodding.

"Fine, whatever. Talk," He muttered.

"Dane, you need to go home," I said slowly.

"You need to go home too," He interrupted again. I glared at him.

"Sorry," He mumbled.

"Well, my plan is to help you get home," I said quietly, smiling slightly at him. He paused, as if wondering how to react.

"But... but only one of us _can _go home," He said slowly. I nodded.

"I know," I muttered in almost a whisper. His eyes narrowed.

"No way, you're the one going home!" He argued, frowning. I shook my head.

"Dane, your family needs you," I began to say.

"So does your father!" Dane interrupted. We stared at each other in silence for a few minutes.

"Well, I guess we'll just have to see what happens," I finally say, breaking the silence. Dane nodded slowly, then he smiled.

"You know, believe it or not, in a weird way I'm glad you're coming," He said slowly.

"What do you mean?" I ask, raising my eyebrows.

"Now I have someone to pick on," He joked as he stood up. I laughed and rolled my eyes.

"Well, I'm going to go check out my room. You sure you're okay? You looked pretty shook up when you volunteered," He asked slowly. I nodded, smiling.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I answered as I stood up as well. Dane nodded, smiling as he walked out. I slowly walked the other way toward my room. _"Well, this is it," _I think to myself as I walk through the door to my room. _"I'm officially in the Hunger Games."_

**Hey there! Thanks for reading my chapter! Hope you liked it and please review! Sorry for the late update, it's been a pretty busy week. I hope to update again on Friday, but if not, then I will update shortly after. I don't own the Hunger Games. **


	6. Chapter 6

I let out a wail of pain as a prep-team member ripped a piece of wax paper off of my shin. We had arrived at the famous Capitol about twenty minutes ago; Dane and I were immediately separated to be "prepped" for the chariot rides. My prep team consisted of one man and two women, who had hosed me down like an animal, scrubbed me till my skin almost came off, then waxed me.

"Alright, I think we're done with this district filth," One prep team woman, Lolli, snorted at me. She obviously had no respect for districts. I wiped the tears away from my eyes as I sat up, glaring at them. It had been 20 minutes of torture, pure pain. The small room was unbelievably cold, making my toes go numb. It also reeked of tension and dread.

"Hey, shut it, Lolli," The prep team man, Bloog, snapped. He put his hand on my shoulder, smiling kindly at me.

"She's a moron," He mouthed the words to me as he pat my shoulder. The last prep team member, Norti, opened the door with a faint creak. The other two began to walk out.

"Good luck, miss," She said politely. "I hope you win."

"I really don't care who wins, I just want my fabulous paycheck!" Lolli giggled to herself as she waltzed out the room, followed by Norti. Bloog walked behind them, closing the door. He paused and peeked his head inside, smiling devilishly.

"I know you'll win!" He smirked as he closed the door, leaving me by myself. I have to admit, that did lift my spirits a little. I slowly looked at my hair-free arms. It was weird, it felt quite odd. I frowned, shrugging. At least the prepping was over. Suddenly, my door swung open and in raced a short, teeny woman. I instantly grabbed a towel that was lying next to me and wrapped it around myself.

"Ahhh!" I yelped, stunned. The woman was very short, I was guessing around 4'3, and she had blinding yellow hair that came to an abrupt stop at her pointy chin. Her skin was powered pink, as if she had dyed it. Her eyes were narrow and wrinkly, yet I could see a hint of blue. She appeared to be elderly, but maybe it was just her makeup.

The strange woman ran right up to me, hardly breathing at all. I tensed awkwardly, not knowing who she was. She harshly grabbed my chin with her tiny hand, turning my head left and right as she stared coldly at my face.

"Hmmm... I have my work cut out for me," She blurted out so fast that I barely understood what she said. She kind of sounded like a hyper chipmunk.

"Umm, hello," I said, taking a step back.

"Shut it! We have no time for talk!" She snapped, again talking a million miles an hour. She shoved me, making me plop down on the bench behind me. I tensed, feeling extremely embarrassed and kind of offended.

"Colors! Colors! Weneedsomanycolors!" She said, whipping around the room and grabbing random clothes like a maniac. I watched her, amazed that a human being could even talk as fast as she did. I paused, beginning to realize that she was my stylist. _"Oh great..."_ I think to myself, frowning.

"Uh, my name is Alessia," I mumble, squirming on the uncomfortable bench. She grabbed a jean dress and began smoothing it out as fast as a tornado.

"I know, I know!" She hissed, snapping her fingers for me to be quiet. I paused in shock, then began to speak again.

"Uhm, what's your name?" I ask hesitantly.

"Peppi," She said, not bothering to look at me. I nodded slowly. "_Well, Peppi sure fits her." _I think to myself with a shrug. Peppi suddenly threw the jean dress right smack on my face.

"Put it on! RIGHTNOWRIGHTNOW!" She yelled, stomping her feet in anticipation. I huffed in annoyance, slowly removing the dress off my head.

"You realize that the chariot rides aren't until an hour, right? It's not like it's in two seconds," I say slowly as I put the dress on. Peppi glared at me with a wild anger in her eyes.

"ARE YOU BACK-TALKING ME?!" She screamed, beginning to jog in place in a tempter-tantrum. I tensed, frowning.

"No, no..." I say with a hint of sarcasm in my voice. _"She's like a three-year old!" _I think to myself as I shake my head. The dress was a dark denim, it kind of looked like overalls but in the form of a dress. I frowned, it looked kind of... well,_ hideous_.

"Whatdoyoudo?" Peppi said in a scrambled mess of words. I hesitated, slowly processing what she was saying.

"I'm... I'm a harvester," I say smiling proudly. She finally stopped moving for the first time since she came in; she stared at me coldly.

"That's stupid," She squeaked, throwing her arms in the air and beginning to race around the room again. It made me exhausted just watching the woman run around, grabbing random stuff and piling them in her frail little arms.

"So much work, SOMUCH!" She said as she threw her head in the air.

"She is completely bonkers!" I whisper to myself with a face-palm.

"SIT DOWN, YOU DUMMY!" Peppi demanded, throwing the pile of stuff on the floor beside me. I instantly sat on the bench, my eyes wide. Peppi grabbed a handful of grain stems out of the pile. She began to sew them onto my jean dress with a needle in thread; in a weird, squiggly pattern.

"This is a dumb outfit," I say with a frown. Peppi suddenly froze, beginning to shake.

"DOYOUEVERSTOPTALKING?!" She practically screamed as she jabbed the needle into my arm.

"Youch!" I yelp, rubbing my arm. Peppi then continued sewing the grain on my dress. She then grabbed some shiny, black, high-heeled boots and shoved them onto my feet.

"Are you allergic to sparkles?" Peppi mumbled, grabbing a huge jar of sparkles.

"No..." I said slowly, trying to process what she had said.

"Good!" She smirked as she twisted off the lid and dumped the entire jar onto my dress, arms, and face. I jumped slightly, not expecting her to do that.

"Did you just-"

"NO TALKING!" Peppi interrupted, slapping me across the face. I gasped, but remained silent as she began to smudge the sparkles over my arms. She then stepped back, frowning.

"Weneedsomething," She said thoughtfully. I rolled my eyes, feeling like a life-sized Barbie doll. Peppi thought to herself for a minute while she paced. She then leaped into the air with excitement.

"I KNOW! I KNOW!" She squealed as she practically dove into the pile and began ripping stuff out. Peppi quickly pulled out a shiny straw hat, loaded with gold glitter. It twinkled in the light, almost blinding me. She quickly walked behind me, pulling my long hair back into a high ponytail. She then grabbed a hair curler and curled my ponytail into a wavy mess. After that, she stuffed the straw hat onto my head.

"Ouch," I mutter, feeling slightly offended that this was my outfit. Peppi leaped in front of me, holding a makeup brush firmly in her palm.

"Uh-oh," I begin to say as she stuffs the brush in deep yellow eye-shadow. Peppi then smudged the eye-shadow onto my eyelids, followed by gold glitter on the outer corners of my eyes. After that came blush, red lipstick, and a little toner.

"Eww, what is this ugly scar?" Peppi growled, poking my jaw. I narrowed my eyes at her, wanting to snap at her. But I held my tongue and let her keep putting makeup on me.

"Okayalldone," Peppi muttered, stepping back to admire her work. She nodded in approval.

"Leave, leave, leave!" Peppi screeched as she shooed me out of the room. I frowned, it felt odd to walk in heels. I froze once I was out of the room, looking down at my outfit. Inside, I wanted to throw up in disgust; but I needed to look confident and proud as my father had ordered me to do. I drew in a deep breath. _"How am I supposed to be confident when I look like a clown?" _I think to myself, trying to dig down and find some kind of boldness. But to my dismay, all I felt was pure fear. I gulped, replaying my father's instructions in my mind.

_"Here's what you're going to do, you're going to fight hard and fight mean," _His voiced echoed through my mind. I slowly began walking down the long, silent hallway; which would lead to the room where all the chariots and tributes were. I still felt absolutely no confidence, so I continued replaying his orders in my head.

_"You're going to look intimidating, gonna look mean, threatening," _I inhaled deeply, rolling my shoulders back and slowly raising my head higher. Look intimidating, I could do that. How hard could it be to disguise your fear? Although my knees were knocking together, I forced them to keep walking. The clip-clomp sound of my heels hitting the perfectly cleaned marble floor echoed through the air as I walked. Ahead, I could see the door which inside held all the chariots. My heart began to pick up pace, but I didn't dare show my terror. I slowly forced my muscles to relax, I _had _to look confident. This would be the first impression all the tributes would get of me, it was vital to look confident.

I stopped at the door, it seemed as if time had stopped. I closed my eyes. This was it. All the tributes were behind this door, all were threats. I had to look like a threat, too. _"Here I go,"_ I think to myself, _"I can do this." _

I took in a sharp breath and swung the big doors open. As I did, a big gust of cool air brushed against me. It smelled of horses, sweat, and extreme tension. The first thing that caught my eye was all the fancy-some weird-outfits the tributes had on. I'd never seen any kind of clothing like it! Some of the tributes looked over towards me, some eyeing me down while others appeared timid. I kept my head held high was I walked over to my chariot. The chariots were all lined up in order, mine was the ninth so I was close to the back. I could feel people looking at me, making my heart thud with terror. I couldn't lose my cool now, so I tried not to look at them. Instead, I stepped up onto my chariot. The air felt thin; it felt hard to breathe, but I was pretty sure it was just my imagination.

It was very loud in the room, tributes were getting onto their chariots while horses danced in place, anxious to make their masters happy by doing as they were told. Peacekeepers stood at all exits, making sure no one tried anything funny. My whole body felt like trembling, but I somehow managed to stand like a statue. Suddenly to my dismay, a hand grabbed my shoulder! I almost squeaked, but instead I spun around to glare at whoever it was.

"Hey, rhinoceros," Dane grinned as he stepped onto the chariot. Relief flooded over me to see a friendly face! I raised my eyebrows as I looked at Dane's outfit. His outfit was similar to mine, but he was wearing metallic-looking blue jeans with a red plaid shirt. The red pieces of fabric were lined with shiny material, definitely noticeable. He was also wearing a straw hat, it was exactly like mine. I frowned slightly as I realized that Dane was so tall and lean, he would definitely get more attention from the crowd then I would. I looked like a pipsqueak next to him!

"Hey... Wait, what do you mean, 'rhinoceros'?!" I hiss, turning back to look ahead. Just as I did, the doors ahead of us flew open and out pranced the first chariot. The announcer quickly introduced the team to the roaring crowd. The room got silent as all tributes listened to the crowd outside cheering and screaming. The people in the stands threw roses at the chariot just as the second chariot trotted out into the spotlight. Dane took a deep breath, patting my shoulder.

"Sorry, I didn't hear you. What did you say?" He asked quietly, not taking his eyes off of the chariots ahead.

"Why did you call me a rhinoceros?" I ask, my voice almost shaking.

"Oh, that. You looked like a mean crazy person," He whispered back, finally looking at me with a smile. I smiled broadly.

"Really?!" I ask, grinning wickedly. Dane raised his eyebrows.

"Yeah... I really thought you'd be more offended," He answered, a hint of disappointment in his voice.

"No, no, I wanted to look mean!" I reply, a gush of pride racing through my blood. Dane chuckled.

"Why? You're not mean," He said, eyeing the tributes behind us.

"SHHHH!" I say as I elbow him in the ribs. Dane winced, turning his attention back to me just as the third chariot went out.

"My father told me to look intimidating, to scare the tributes," I explain ever so quietly. Dane gave me a weird look.

"That's stupid, there's no way you'll pull it off," He laughed to himself.

"You should do it too," I whisper, making sure none of the tributes heard me. Dane shook his head, amused.

"That's dumb," He mumbled.

"Well, do you have a better idea?" I demand as I elbow him again. Dane thought for a minute, then sighed.

"Fine. But if they find out we're really not that mean, we'll be the first target for tricking them," He warned as he nodded.

"We'll be a target if we don't at least try to scare them," I whisper as I watch the fourth chariot walk out to the loud, obnoxious crowd. I then looked at Dane as he puffed out his chest, putting a harsh, mean look on his face.

"This better work," He muttered under his breath.

"It will," I reply, glancing at the tributes behind us. My heart almost exploded when I realized they were staring directly at us, and they looked like threats. The boy was tall and very toned, along with the girl. They both had cold eyes and scowls on their faces as they glared at me. I slowly looked back ahead, forcing my knees to stop knocking together. Dane and I watched as chariots five, six, and seven marched out. My heart began to pick up pace, I could barely breathe! Dane glanced over at me, gently nodding encouragingly. I ever so slightly nodded back, and watched the chariot from District 8 canter out into the roar of the crowd. Roses were scattered over the floor, where the people had thrown roses at their favorite tributes. The spotlight followed the chariot effortlessly, and in a few seconds, that spotlight would be on Dane and I.

"Here we go," Dane whispered as our horses began to trot out of the room. The crowd roared with excitement as we entered, they threw roses at us as well. That did lift my spirits, at least they liked us.

"Oh, and here comes District 9! What an interesting outfit they have! It does reflect their District, but it looks a little uncomfortable." The announcer, Stuntro, boomed. Dane held his head high, smiling broadly and waving confidently at the unbelievably loud crowd. I felt like shrinking, I'd never seen so many people in my life! And they were _all _staring at us. Where did Dane get such boldness? I drew in a deep breath, then slowly raised my hand and waved along. Dane looked down at me, smiling with, quite possibly, every muscle in his face.

"Smile," He mumbled as he turned his gaze back toward the crowd. I instantly forced my lips to form a smile, even though every fiber in my body felt like crying.

"Wow, the crowd really loves them! What confidence! What grace! The boy is simply beaming with pride and dignity, while the girl..." Stuntro's voice stopped for a second, my heart lifted.

"Looks like a courageous young warrior," He finished, the crowd went wild! And that, I must say, lifted my spirits enough to where I didn't have to force a smile anymore. I smiled subconsciously, overjoyed that my plan had worked, they didn't see me as a weakling. In everyone's eyes, I was now what my father had told me to be.

_A threat._

**Hey everyone! I am SO sorry that I haven't updated in so long! It's been SO hectic here with me trying to get all my school done before summer... Plus my internet is being weird. Anyway, hope you liked it! Chariot rides, check! Next time, training! Wooo! I don't own the Hunger Games. Please review!**


	7. Chapter 7

I shuddered as Dane, Tuffi, and I stood in the elevator which was going up to our floor. My mind was racing back to the chariot rides, when they all lined up and watched President Larc give his speech. President Larc was one of the most terrifying people I have _ever _laid eyes upon. He was extremely tall, at least 6'8; and he was stick-like skinny. His hair was a deep, dark gray that was very short but wavy. His green eyes were stone cold, filled with nothing but pure hate. Even his outfit was intimidating! He wore a deep blue button-down shirt and a jet-black suit. He looked like grim-reaper as he stood on the stage, smirked slightly, and began to speak in his unbelievably deep voice.

Just remembering his smile sent chills down my spine! It was a smile as if saying that he knew he had all of Panem wrapped around his tiny little finger, and he could squash them in an instant. I couldn't even pay attention to what he was saying, I was too busy trying not to look at him. I was so relieved when that speech was over! I bit down on my lower lip, I never wanted to see that face again. _Ever. _Suddenly, a hand jerked on my shoulder, yanking my out of my thoughts.

"Alessia," Dane remarked, giving me a weird look. I jumped slightly, then turned to him.

"What?" I ask slowly.

"You're all pale," He answered, frowning.

"Sorry, I was just remembering President Larc," I mutter, staring at the silver ceiling of the elevator.

"Yeah, he was a creepy looking wimp," Dane chuckled, shaking his head. I breathed in deeply, shaking my head to get the thoughts of President Larc out. The elevator seemed to be going unbelievably slow, and it was deathly quiet. Everything was awkward as we all stared at the elevator doors. It seemed like an eternity, but the doors finally opened on floor nine. I gasped at what I saw!

The room was _gorgeous! _The walls were a brilliant green, with a hint of yellow along the edges. There was a round, shiny glass table in the middle of the room with odd, square-shaped chairs in the color blue surrounding the table. Scattered randomly around the room, there were couches and chairs of all shapes and colors. The room smelled of meadow flowers, which was odd. The floors were all marble, and so shiny that you could see your reflection! The wall left of the elevators wasn't even a wall, it was a huge window. As far as the eye could see, there were buildings and lights of the city. It was all breath-taking!

"Cool," Dane muttered as he plopped onto a gray chair in front of the large window.

"Oh my! Isn't it spectacular!" Tuffi giggled as she did a few twirls. I remained silent, staring at the room. It was so beautiful, it was so different... But it wasn't _home. _Mixed emotions flooded through me, I didn't know if I should feel blessed or homesick. Tuffi frowned when she saw my emotionless expression.

"What's the matter, don't you like it?" She squeaked, spreading her arms out and spinning in a circle. I glanced left, then right. Finally, I just shrugged. Dane chuckled, shaking his head when he saw Tuffi narrow her eyes at me.

"You should be grateful that you get such nice things for once; this doesn't happen for everybody," She said rather loudly.

"Oooooh," Dane whispered, grinning as he watched Tuffi and I.

"It's just a show to smooth over the fact that all the tributes will be fighting to the death in a few days," I snap, looking away. Tuffi drew in a sharp breath as she jerked her head up high, staring down her nose at me. She was just about to say something back, when Ryke seemed to come out of nowhere.

"Hey, Tuffi, give them a break, huh?" He chuckled as he walked over and pat my shoulder. I instantly cowered away from Ryke's hand, but I just stood there like an idiot. Tuffi broke into a goofy smile as she stared at Ryke.

"Of course," She said, practically drooling over him. Ryke nodded, smiling at me.

"Why don't you go check out your room? I'm sure you'll like it," He suggested as he looked from me to Dane. I shrugged again.

"Fine, whatever," I mumble as I walk past the glass table, down a short hallway and to the right, where my room was. I paused, taking a deep breath. The walls were the same, the floor still marble, but the decorations were different. Straight ahead lay my bed, which was layered in fluffy purple blankets. On top of the blankets were decorative pillows, but they didn't look very comfy. There was a small, silver nightstand next to the bed. On it sat a weird, swirly shaped lamp, an electric clock, and a notepad. There was a large, rectangular shaped window to the right of the bed, overlooking the city of Panem. It was pretty, yet I felt a pang of homesickness.

I slowly walked over and sat on my bed, and to my surprise, I sank into the fluffy mattress.

"Ahh!" I say as I grab hold of the blankets, steadying myself. I wasn't used to a soft mattress, I was used to my old one.

"Knock knock," Dane said as he leaned against the doorpost. I glanced over at him.

"What?" I ask slowly with a hint of annoyance in my voice.

"Wow, did I offend you by speaking?" He laughed, shaking his head. I sighed, I was being a jerk.

"Sorry, I'm just not in a good mood," I mumble, not meeting his eyes.

"Well, that's understandable. I mean, we're here," He said with a shrug. I nodded, not knowing what else to say. There was an awkward silence for a few minutes.

"Well, training starts first thing tomorrow morning," Dane remarked, smiling slightly.

"Yep," I answer quickly. Another awkward silence lingered in the tense air.

"Okay, I'm done. See yah tomorrow," Dane said with a slight wave as he walked away, giving up on having an actual conversation.

"Sure thing," I whisper, staring at the window. Tomorrow morning, we would train to learn how to win the Hunger Games. Delightful.

* * *

_Bang! Bang! Bang! _Echoed through the air, jerking me awake. I sat bolt upright, feeling disoriented. It only took a few seconds for me to realize that I was at the Capitol, which made my heart sink slightly.

_Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!_

I glanced over to where the loud noise was coming from, realizing someone was pounding on my door.

"Alessia! Come on! Get up!" Ryke's deep voice beckoned from outside my bedroom. I yawned, rubbing my heavy eyes.

"Yes sir," I say instinctively; I was so used to saying that to my father that it just came out.

"Sir? Sir?! You make me sound like I'm ancient!" Ryke laughed, continuing to knock on my door.

"Are you up yet?" He asked again.

"Yes, I'm up, I'm up!" I groan as I hop off my bed and head for the shower. Once out of the shower, I walk to my closet and swing the doors open. Inside hung a single outfit, my training outfit. I quickly slipped it on, pulled my tangled hair back into a ponytail, and ran out of my bedroom. Everyone was seated at the glass table, eating breakfast.

"It's about time," Ryke joked as he stuffed a forkful of pancakes in his mouth. Dane had his head rested on his hand, looking as if he were hardly awake, and he was stabbing his pancake with his fork. Tuffi, on the other hand, was cheery and peppy as always. I sat down next to Dane, staring at the pancake on the plate in front of me.

"Eat up, it's good," Ryke said in a friendly tone as he continued stuffing pancake in his mouth.

"I... want... sleep..." Dane muttered, his eyes barely open.

"Oh, silly lad, you can't be tired! It's the Hunger Games! It's so exciting," Tuffi giggled as she cut her pancake in the most petite way possible. I slowly began to eat my pancake, which was delicious.

"Not as exciting as sleeping for a full eight hours," Dane muttered sarcastically with a big yawn. I grinned, it was funny watching Dane so tired.

"Wimp," I joke as I poke my fork at his shoulder lightly.

* * *

After breakfast, Dane and I headed downstairs to the training room. The room was very big, with different stations to train for. I glanced around at all the tributes, most of them weren't paying attention to anyone but themselves and their district partners.

"So, what's our plan?" Dane whispered into my ear. I frowned, pausing.

"We have to be mean," I whisper back. Dane sighed.

"I'm telling you, they're going to see right through us," Dane mumbled.

"Trust me, trust me!" I hiss as I hold my head high, but I couldn't bring myself to look at any of the tributes. Dane shook his head, but quickly changed his stature to an intimidating look. Just then, a woman stepped into the middle of the room. She was tall yet round, and her hair was an irritating pink. She had makeup caked on her face, but yet she still looked threatening. She loudly cleared her throat, catching everyone's attention.

"Tributes of the 12th Hunger Games, listen closely," She said sternly. Everyone listened intently.

"My name is Dina, not that you need to know. In two weeks, twenty-three of you will be dead. I'm not going to sugar-coat it," She chuckled in a mean, harsh tone of voice. Dane clenched his jaw, glancing over at me.

"Here are the rules. Number one: Don't break the rules. Simple enough, isn't it?" Dina grumbled, staring directly at the girl from District 1 for some strange reason.

"Number two: No fighting. Kapeesh? That means no yelling, no touching, no nothing," She said, turning her deathly glare toward the boy from District 5.

"Number Three: Pay attention to everything. You'll get a taste of every station; you may start at whichever station you please, but you must visit each station at least once to learn everything," Dina continued, starting to smirk.

"And last but not least, have fun!" She said in a sarcastic tone. She then walked away, beginning to laugh at the tension in the room which she had just created.

"What a jerk," Dane whispered to me as he watched Dina walk away.

"No kidding," I whisper back. I drew in a sharp breath as I took a quick glance at the tributes.

The pair from District 1 looked, well, intimidating. They were both tall, muscular, and scary-looking. Definitely threats. District 2 was about the same, yet the girl looked as though she was trying too hard to look threatening. The District 3 pair looked like decent threats, but the boy looked young; maybe 13 or 14. Young tributes are rarely threats because they're normally weaker and have less training. On to District 4. They struck me as odd for some reason. The girl was extremely tall and skinny, but the boy was short and big-boned. They both appeared to be almost... happy?

"Hey, look over at District 5. What do you think of them?" Dane whispered as he surveyed the tributes as well. I glanced to my right, instantly finding the two from District 5. My heart sank at what I saw. The girl looked young, very young. She was pale and skinny, and her right hand appeared to be mangled up; unusable. The expression on her face was frightened, as if she knew she was an immediate target to everyone. The boy, however, was tall and mean-looking. His eyes were harsh with bitterness, yet he looked a lot like the girl. He boldly stood in front of her, almost in a protective way.

"Is that her brother?" I mumble, studying the two. Dane paused, watching them.

"I dunno, they sure look a lot alike though," He responded. I could see pity in Dane's eyes when he noticed the girl's hand.

"She's sure gonna be a target. Poor kid," He muttered as he crossed his arms. I nodded, frowning. For some odd reason, I felt like someone was staring at me; like I was being watched. Instinctively, I turned around and jumped at what I saw. The boy from District 6 was standing about three feet away, and he was staring at me with a slightly crazy gleam in his gray eyes. He was short but extremely skinny and a large, fresh cut was sliced across his face. He was staring blankly at me, with no emotion on his face. He appeared to be around my age, but I wasn't sure.

"Pssst! Dane!" I whisper as I nudge Dane. Dane glanced behind him, noticing the boy.

"Well, he sure looks weird," Dane chuckled as he turned back around. The girl from District 6 finally walked over, glaring at her District partner.

"What are you doing over here, twerp? If you want to be in our alliance, go see what weapons you're good at and show off," She hissed as she harshly grabbed his arm and dragged him to a knife throwing station.

My eyes scanned the room until I found District 7. The two District partners were fighting about something, but I couldn't hear what about. They looked like decent threats, they sure had anger issues though. District 8 were at the archery station, and they definitely looked like threats. The boy was big and muscular while the girl was lean and she appeared to be very good at archery. District 9 and 10 both seemed like highly dangerous threats, while District 11's pair appeared young and terrified. Finally, District 12 seemed as if they were scared but trying not to act like it.

"Wow, there are a lot of threats, Dane," I whisper as I frown. Dane shrugged.

"Well, Miss Mean Tough and Intimidating, we can take 'em," Dane replied as he walked toward the spear station. I slowly followed, making sure I kept my head held high with confidence as I walked. I tried not to look at the tributes as I watched Dane pick up a spear.

"Hmmm, light-weight yet razor sharp! I like these Capitol weapons," Dane smiled as he threw it at a training dummy. It hit the dummy's arm, but hey, at least it hit the target. I wasn't paying much attention, though. I sneaked glanced around the room, watching the tributes. The careers were looking for allies, and it was pretty obvious. District 1 and 2 were obviously already allied, they were in a little group as they watched tributes at random training stations. They laughed every so often at the weak tributes, but pointed and nodded to each other at the stronger tributes.

"Alessia," Dane said as he shoved my shoulder.

"W-W-What?" I ask, spinning my attention to him.

"Forget the other tributes, we're not letting anyone else into our alliance so we don't need to study them. All we need to do is act intimidating around them," Dane remarked as he handed me a spear and stepped back. I shrugged, getting into position to throw the spear at the training dummy.

"We... are in an alliance, right?" Dane suddenly mumbled, shoving his hands into his pockets awkwardly. I froze as my father's instructions instantly flooded through my head. "_...once you get into the arena, I want you to stay alone and find a place to hide. When anyone, even that kid, comes along, I want you to get them," _His voice echoed, sending chills down my spine. My father wanted me to do this alone, which meant no alliance. But the whole reason I had volunteered was so I could make sure Dane went home, to make sure Dane won. I awkwardly smiled at my best friend, nodding.

"Yeah... Yeah, of course we are!" I force a chuckle as I throw the spear. It missed the training dummy by at least a foot. I glanced over at Dane, who had a slight frown on his face; as if he knew I had hesitated to answer.

"Alright then, we're allies," He said, slowly smiling.

"Y-Yeah, allies,"

**Hey there! Thanks for reading my chapter, hope you liked it! Sorry it took a while to write, but it's a pretty long chapter haha! Please review! And I don't own the Hunger Games.**


	8. Chapter 8

"Well, first day of training was pretty good," Dane muttered through a mouthful of potatoes. I had somehow made it through the first day of training without fainting; and instead looked intimidating. Now Dane, Tuffi, Ryke, and I were seated at the dinner table enjoying a huge, colorful dinner. Well, at least _they _were enjoying it. Fork clutched in hand, I could only stare at my untouched plate of potatoes and meat. The scene of Dane's question just kept replaying over and over in my head!

_"We... are in an alliance, right?"_

It just wouldn't go away! I remembered how my heart began to race, how I almost denied his offer to be in an alliance together. But the entire reason why I volunteered was to try my hardest to make sure Dane went home to his family, which needed him badly. So, I disobeyed my father's instructions to stay alone and now Dane and I were in an alliance. _"I just disobeyed my father!" _I thought to myself, making my stomach churn. I felt sick to my stomach ever since the conversation about the alliance; there was no way I would be able to eat dinner and keep it down.

"Alessia, you're quiet. How was your first day of training?" Ryke announced, making my head jerk up to look at him. To my surprise, Dane and Tuffi were staring at me as well, awaiting my answer.

"It was... oodles of fun," I stammered, immediately looking back down at my plate. We hadn't done much for the first day, everyone was more concerned with who to ally with than to actually practice their skills. My guess is that tomorrow will be full of tension, everyone will probably be trying to out-do one another to show off and make it into the big alliance of the careers. Just a guess, though.

"We're allies," Dane proclaimed proudly, nearly making me choke on my own air.

"Ah, I figured you'd do that. You two friends?" Ryke asked, propping his elbows on the table with a thoughtful look on his face. I slowly nodded.

"Yep," I say shortly, still feeling sick to my stomach.

"Yeah, we've been friends since... forever," Dane commented, elbowing me in the side.

"Oh, Alessia! You haven't touched your food! Is there something wrong with it?" Tuffi squeaked, looking surprised. I couldn't believe I could even see a reaction through all the make-up caked on her round face.

"Uhhh..." I mumble, realizing that everyone's attention just turned to my plate of food.

"No... Here, Dane," I sigh as I dump my dinner onto his nearly-empty plate. Dane's eyes instantly lit up as he dug his fork in and began eating. Everything got silent after that, the only sound heard was Dane stuffing his face. Even though the silence was awkward, I couldn't look up. I felt sick to my stomach still, I couldn't believe I disobeyed my father's orders! _"Oh come on, Dane has to go home and it's my responsibility to make sure he does. Stop freaking out!" _My thoughts scolded. For some reason, I could feel someone coldly staring at me. I slowly lifted my eyes, meeting the stare of Ryke. His deep green eyes narrowed, as if thinking.

"I'll... be right back," Ryke remarked as he quickly stood up. Tuffi hiccuped, dantily patting the corners of her mouth with a large blue napkin.

"Hurry back," She replied, smiling lightly. For some reason, I held eye contact with Ryke; who slowly stood then nodded toward me, motioning for me to follow.

"Me too," I mumbled as I stood and followed Ryke. We slowly walked toward the hallway in a deep silence. Ryke inhaled deeply, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he led me down the hallway. He waited until we were out of ear-shot, then spoke.

"So tell me," He announced with his rather loud voice. I raised my eyebrow at him.

"Tell you what?" I question, listening to the steady drum of our footsteps hitting the unbelievably clean marble floor.

"Tell me what's wrong," Ryke said, seriousness in his voice. I swallowed hard as my heart picked up pace. For some odd reason I felt nervous around my mentor, and I couldn't find any words to speak! So I remained silent. Ryke patiently awaited my answer, but broke the silence when he realized I wasn't about to speak.

"Alright then, let me guess... You're scared?" He said as he looked up at the ceiling. _"I have to make him think I'm intimidating!" _I thought as I glanced at him.

"I'm not scared," I snapped, harshness in my tone. Ryke raised his eyebrows, as if trying to act surprised when he really wasn't.

"Uh-huh..." His voice trailed off, as if in deep thought. I studied the look on his face, it was as if he knew my little game; as if he could see I was faking my bravery. I clenched my jaw and in a desperate attempt to fool him, I reached my arm out in front of him and forced him to stop walking. Now _that_ surprised him, he quickly turned to face me.

"I'm not scared, kapeesh?" I hiss through my teeth. I tried my hardest to glare at him, although my heart was pounding with fear. I even shocked myself at how mean I was being, this wasn't like me! But I couldn't let him know that it was all a show, I couldn't let _anyone _know.

"Yeah, right! I can see it on your face, I can hear it in your voice!" Ryke began to slightly raise his voice, which surprised me. I opened my mouth to snap something back, but yet again my voice seemed to cower away from me. All that came out was a squeak. A _squeak. _Ryke paused, then continued talking.

"You're terrified and I know it. You're hiding it, but it's so obvious! If you're going to act all tough, you really need more practice," He chuckled, crossing his arms. I gasped, trying to look offended.

"Oh yeah? I... I..." My voice trailed off as I wrinkled my eyebrows to look threatening. I clenched my hands into fists as I leaned in close to his face, hoping he'd get intimidated. Instead, Ryke just stared back at me with an amused grin on his face; patiently waiting for me to finish my sentence.

"I... You... Uh... You're stupid!" I stammered, feeling like a total idiot. _"Oh wow... 'You're stupid!'?! Really?!" _I thought to myself. Ryke held back a chuckle, but shrugged.

"Maybe. But not as stupid as you. What is this? The big 'lean into his bubble-space' scare tactic? Ooooh I'm scared!" He grinned. "Those tributes will have you for lunch,"

I inhaled sharply, wondering what to do now. He knew I really wasn't a threat to the other tributes, he knew I was really scared. I narrowed my eyes, frowning.

"Really? Well I... Okay fine," I sighed as I relaxed and backed away from him, hanging my head in shame. "Scaring them was my only chance... Guess I'm dead meat, huh?" Ryke quickly shook his head.

"I wouldn't say that," He quickly replied, lifting my heart a little. I slowly raised my eyebrow, confused.

"What do you mean?" I asked slowly. Ryke smiled, and not in an insulting way, but in an understanding way.

"Everyone has at least one talent, what is it that you do in your district?" He asked, a thoughtful look in his eyes. I shrugged.

"Nothing impressive, I'm a harvester," I replied, crossing my arms as well. He nodded.

"What do you use to harvest?" He asked slowly.

"A machete," I answer with a frown. But to my surprise, Ryke smiled broadly.

"Really? A machete, now THAT can do some damage! Are you good with it?" He asked, enthusiasm in his voice. I shrugged, a little shocked.

"Uhmm... I guess?" I coughed, feeling slightly awkward now.

"Yes or no?" He pried with an excited gleam in his eye.

"Uh, yes... Yes, I suppose I'm okay with a machete,"

"EXCELLENT!" Ryke shouted, nearly exploding with excitement. I jumped slightly, not expecting him to be so overjoyed.

"Even with your horrible attempt to look intimidating, you could scare the life out of those tributes if they see you with that machete!" Ryke smiled, slapping my shoulder playfully. I paused, not knowing how to react.

"Um... Cool..." I muttered, feeling awkward.

"First thing tomorrow morning, before you go to training, I want you to show me how you use your machete, okay?" He grinned. I slowly nodded. Ryke laughed, smiling at me.

"Hey, get excited! You have a shot at winning this thing!" He chuckled as he walked back down the hallway, towards the dinner table.

"WOO!" He shouted as he disappeared behind a corner. I raised my eyebrow as I watched him go. I breathed in deeply, frowning once he was out of sight. _"But I didn't come here to win, I came here to make sure Dane wins." _I thought to myself as I bit my lower lip.

* * *

I was now standing in the dining room, staring out the huge window. It was pretty late at night, Tuffi and Ryke had already gone to sleep. I haven't seen Dane since dinner, so I had no idea where he had gone. My eyes scanned the large city, it was very pretty. The night sky made it easy to see all the flickering lights, and all the oddly-shaped buildings looked like silhouettes covered by darkness. I studied the view, trying to crush the feeling of fear inside of me. I knew I wasn't going to win, and I had to make myself be okay with that. Dane has to win, and there can't be two victors. _"I'll just enjoy myself and chill for a while, I don't have to think about the Hunger Games until tomorrow," _I thought to myself, trying to relax.

"I don't have to be tough-girl until tomorrow morning, for now I can just be myself," I said aloud as my eyes searched the city, knowing no one would hear me.

"Well, aside from all the death that's about to happen, it's a pretty nice place. Very strange though," I said out loud, nodding in agreement to myself.

"Why are you out here talking to yourself?" Dane's deep voice made me jump.

"OHMIGOSH WHOA!" I practically screamed as I spun around in fright. Dane jumped, backing up a few steps.

"Ah! It's just me! It's just me!" He remarked, raising his eyebrows. I sighed in relief, shaking my head.

"Would you please not sneak up on me?!" I demanded, huffing. Dane slowly smirked, amused. I paused, beginning to smile at myself.

"Wow. I think the whole building just heard you scream. They probably think you're nuts now," Dane laughed as he ran a hand through his hair.

"Well... You made me!" I chuckle, shaking my head.

"If anything, I should be the one scared. I have a crazy district partner who talks to herself," Dane smirked as he walked over and sat on one of the odd- shaped chairs. Dane looked tired and his hair was in an unbelievable mess, making me wonder why he was awake.

"Why are you awake?" I asked slowly, crossing my arms. Dane yawned deeply, then shook his head.

"No, no, no, no. You answer my question first. Why are you talking to yourself?" He asked, looking up at me. I shrugged.

"No one else to talk to," I mumble.

"Uhhh, I'm your best friend, why can't you talk to me?" He asked, looking slightly offended. I shrugged once again.

"I don't know, everything's just.. weird... I'm all discombobulated!" I stammered, throwing my hands in the air. Dane nodded with a slight chuckle.

"Well, once this is all over, everything will be normal again," He smiled encouragingly. But I didn't smile, I frowned.

"But 'once this is all over', one of us will be dead," I answered quietly. Dane's smile instantly disappeared. We just stared at each other for a few moments in silence, letting it all sink in. Once the Games were over, one-or both-of us would be dead. It _wouldn't _be the same, ever. Dane suddenly cleared his throat, shaking his head as he stood.

"We can't think like that," He muttered.

"But it's true-"

"We can't think like that!" Dane snapped, interrupting me. I sighed, shrugging. It was no use arguing with Dane.

"Alright," I mutter. Dane slowly forced a smile.

"Alright then, what did you ask me before?" He yawned, rubbing his eyes. I cleared my throat.

"Why are you still awake?" I ask, yawning myself. Dane shrugged.

"You really want to know?" He asked, raising his eyebrows as he began to smirk. I nodded curiously.

"Okay... But you asked for it. I really had to pee and while I was walking to the bathroom, I heard my crazy friend talking to herself!" Dane laughed. My jaw dropped in disgust!

"BLAH! Why did you tell me that?!" I huff, doing a face-palm. Dane burst into laughter at my obvious disgust.

"Hey! You asked!" He said through his laughter. Suddenly, he paused.

"Which reminds me, I have to pee!" He gasped as he spun on his heel and raced down the hallway.

"Ew, gross!" I coughed.

"I HAVE TO PEE!" He screamed again as he zoomed into the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind him. I wrinkled my nose, shaking my head as I walked back to my room.

"That... That's going to give me nightmares," I muttered as I closed my door and flopped onto my bed, falling asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

**Hey folks! Thanks for reading my chapter! I'm so sorry I've taken so long to update, I've been crazily busy these past few weeks. But now that it's closer to fall, I think I'll be able to update more frequently. Thanks again! Please review, favorite, or just read it... Haha! I don't own the Hunger Games.**


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